Gu Wancheng had only just managed to fall asleep when his phone suddenly rang. Irritated, he pulled the covers over his head, but his phone kept calling to him relentlessly.
"So annoying!"
Gu Wancheng abruptly sat up, grabbed his phone, answered the call, and spoke through gritted teeth.
"Who is it?!"
Those words contained all his resentment. All that could be said was that he now had more resentment than Sadako.
The person on the other end heard the exhaustion in his voice and figured he had probably been woken up and was in a bad mood. He immediately felt like crying, but had no tears.
It's almost evening already. Why is he still sleeping? Oh well, I've already called. I'll just have to bite the bullet.
"...Hello, Mr. Gu. We're very sorry to disturb you out of the blue. We're with the production team for Hello, Baby."
"So what do you need?" You'd better actually need something.
Hearing the implication, the man on the other end silently wept.
Sumimasen, Gu-san. I'm only following orders.
He was an emotionless bot. He would carry out his task meticulously.
"The show starts the day after tomorrow. We'll arrive at your home at eight, so please be ready."
Gu Wancheng's irritation at being woken was beginning to fade. He found this a little strange. Wasn't the production team supposed to make surprise visits? They used what the guests were like in private as a talking point, so why were they giving him an exact time?
Gu Wancheng rubbed the quilt. Could it be... "Did you notify the others too?"
The other end answered with silence.
"Got it."
Just as he had thought, they had only notified him.
"All right, we've given you the exact time, so we won't disturb you any further. Goodbye."
"Goodbye."
After hanging up, Gu Wancheng sat blankly on the bed. He was no longer sleepy, but his mind was still empty and hadn't fully booted up.
After spacing out for a while, he stretched. Since he couldn't sleep anyway, he would take a stroll through the back garden and cultivate his finer sensibilities.
"Daddy."
An exhausting voice drifted over. Gu Wancheng wished he could fall into a dead sleep right now.
Playing with a child when the mood struck was fine, but having one pop up every so often was annoying.
"Daddy, Daddy."
Chaochao climbed onto the bed and shoved his face right in front of him. Gu Wancheng stared expressionlessly at that magnified face, reached out, and manually turned it in another direction.
It didn't matter how cute that face was. Right now, he just wanted some peace and quiet alone.
Also, he really was noisy.
He asked listlessly, "Did you need something?"
Chaochao shook his head in displeasure and looked at him. "We're sleeping together tonight."
That's it? What's the big deal? Why get so excited?
"Oh, sure. We'll sleep together, then."
Chaochao's eyes instantly sparkled. "You said yes, right? You really said yes!"
The light in Chaochao's eyes nearly blinded him in that instant. The corner of his mouth twitched as he replied perfunctorily, "Yes, yes, I said yes."
"Yay!"
Chaochao bounced excitedly on the bed, making Gu Wancheng's eyelid twitch. He hurriedly shooed him off the bed and patted his own chest.
That was close. He nearly stepped on me.
"Didn't you take a nap today?"
"I guess not."
"Then you need to go to bed early tonight."
"We'll sleep together."
"Okay, okay, okay."
Having gotten the answer he wanted, Chaochao ran out excitedly again.
Gu Wancheng really didn't know where children got so much energy, chattering and bouncing around nonstop.
I'm getting old.
Gu Wancheng, who was only twenty-two this year, couldn't help sighing as he watched Chaochao's cheerful figure.
This old man is going to look at flowers and drink tea now.
"Daddy said yes!"
After arriving in the study, Chaochao stood on tiptoe and rested his chin on the desk.
Bo Yizhou raised an eyebrow and put down his pen. "Oh? What did you say to Daddy?"
"I just said we'd sleep together tonight."
That's it?
His intuition told him Gu Wancheng had misunderstood, but would he go and point it out? Of course not.
"Did you tell your daddy that all three of us would be sleeping together?"
"Huh?"
Chaochao looked utterly bewildered.
Bo Yizhou: Just as I thought.
"All right, go play."
But Chaochao didn't leave right away. Instead, he hesitated, wanting to say something but holding back, glancing at him every so often.
His presence was far too noticeable. Bo Yizhou sighed and asked helplessly, "What else is it?"
Chaochao drew a deep breath and closed his eyes, looking as though he was marching to his death.
"Can I watch My Little Pony?"
After a long while without hearing a response from Bo Yizhou, Chaochao quietly opened his eyes.
At the sight of Bo Yizhou's half-smiling expression, he silently moved his chin off the desk and slowly crouched down.
From Bo Yizhou's perspective, a fluffy little head slowly sank out of sight.
Apparently finding this scene amusing, Bo Yizhou smiled, then laughed aloud, loudly enough for Chaochao to hear.
Chaochao, upon hearing the laughter: ...Hmph, meanie~( TロT)σ
Not wanting to stay there any longer, Chaochao shuffled toward the door like a little duck.
Even by the time he reached the doorway, he hadn't heard Bo Yizhou change his mind. He gently closed the door and left dejectedly.
He radiated such a lifeless air that the servants he passed all glanced over and stifled their laughter. It seemed the young master had been rebuffed by the master again.
In the end, Butler Chen couldn't bear to watch and stepped forward to comfort him. "Young master, would you like to go keep Mr. Gu company? Mr. Gu will definitely be happy if you go play with him."
Gu Wancheng: No, I won't. You heartless, unfeeling man. I won't forgive you. Never.(｀へ´)
Chaochao perked up a little and asked listlessly, "Where's Daddy?"
"Mr. Gu is in the back garden."
Hearing this, Chaochao changed direction and headed toward the back garden. Butler Chen watched him from behind, feeling deeply gratified.
At that moment, Gu Wancheng, who was enjoying a leisurely life in the back garden, had no idea Chaochao was coming to find him. He was drinking tea while admiring the flowers vying with one another in beauty.
"Now this is living."
"What is?"
Gu Wancheng's hand froze. Trembling, he drained the tea in his cup.
He asked, "Who is it?"
Chaochao crouched beside him and answered sweetly, "It's Chaochao."
Gu Wancheng fell silent. Yes, he was very cute. He would be even cuter if he showed up when Gu Wancheng actually felt like playing with a child.
The corner of his mouth twitched as he asked helplessly, "Did you need something, Chaochao?"
"I came to play with you. Grandpa Butler said you'd be very happy." Chaochao mercilessly stabbed Butler Chen in the back.
Gu Wancheng: ...
So you're the culprit, Butler Chen!
"Are you happy?"
"Yes, I'm very happy. Hahaha."
Chaochao couldn't hear the forced cheer in Gu Wancheng's laughter. He simply thought he was genuinely happy, so he laughed along.
"Then what should we play?"
"What game do you want to play, Chaochao?" Games? I've never played them.
"Huh? I don't know."
The two stared at each other, speechless for a moment.
Chaochao quietly got up and sat beside him, looking curiously at the cup in his hand.
"What are you drinking?"
"Tea."
"Tea?" Chaochao tilted his head in confusion. "Can I have some?"
"Yes, but not too much. Careful, it's hot."
Gu Wancheng poured a cup and handed it to him. Chaochao picked it up and carefully blew on it.
The fragrance of tea lingered around his nose. Chaochao swung his legs happily and said, "It smells so nice."
After blowing on it for a while, Chaochao eagerly took a sip, and his face instantly twisted in agony.
He looked stunned. "It's bitter!"
The corners of Gu Wancheng's mouth lifted slightly. "Well? Does it taste good?"
Chaochao shook his head furiously. It didn't taste good, not one bit.